Spirituality of HIV-infected female patients treated in a secondary care hospital in Thailand: a preliminary investigation

Abstract

Introduction Globally, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection are major public health concerns. As women experience HIV infection, it is important for them to find meaning in their lives. It is increasingly agreed in literature that spirituality play an important role in life, and has a significant impact on complexity of living of HIV-infected female patients. Material and methods This cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate two dimensions of spirituality of HIV-infected female patients in Thailand. Data were collected using a set of questionnaires, including JAREL spiritual well-being scale and spiritual practices checklist. Purposive sampling method was applied to recruit participants treated in a secondary healthcare setting in Thailand. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data. This article presented preliminary data. Results The study included one hundred HIV-infected female patients, with mean age of 41.19 years (SD, 7.68). There was a wide range of time since HIV diagnosis (less than a year to more than 7 years) (mean, 3.24; SD, 1.16). Majority (95%) of women indicated adhering to antiretroviral therapy. The most frequently used spiritual practices were family activities, listening to music, and visiting a temple or quiet place. The overall spiritual well-being was at a moderate level (mean, 87.65; SD, 22.09). Moreover, there was a significant positive relationship between the overall spiritual well-being and the number of spiritual practices used (r = 0.29, p < 0.01). Conclusions Developing intervention programs focusing on the advantages of spirituality has the potential for health benefits in order to cope with the disease in HIV-infected female patients.

Keywords

• spirituality
• spiritual practices
• spiritual well-being
• hiv-infected female patients